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School children across the country have been creating waves in radio, producing their own innovative and exciting shows as part of SchoolsRadio.com, and competing to be named Best Female and Best Male Presenter in the first ever Sony Radio Awards for Schools.

Double-act Connor Stubbs and Elliott Pullin, from Culverhay School in Bath, stood out from the competition with their entertaining and lively break-time show which mixed music and classic DJ banter, earning them the title of Best Male Presenters. The Best Female Presenter award went to Carey Osborne, from Clapton Girls’ Community College in Hackney, who produced and presented an interesting and enlightening programme about friendship.

The three winners, three of the country’s best junior DJs, were presented with their prizes by Managing Director, Steve Dowdle during a special lunch at Sony headquarters in Weybridge. They attended the prize-giving ceremony along with staff from their school, and were each delighted to be given a Sony digital camera, while each of their schools received £750 worth of Sony equipment to help them make future radio shows.

SchoolsRadio.com is an innovative and exciting scheme that utilises digital technology and the Internet to give pupils a creative outlet that is enjoyable, educational and helps boost their confidence. It is especially beneficial for visually impaired and dyslexic children who can compete with their peers without any disadvantages, and unleash their creative spirit to its full potential.

Whether winning prizes or not, many pupils have benefited enormously from the scheme, and had great fun to boot.

Launched jointly by the Secretaries of State at the DCSF (Department of Children, Schools and Families) and DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport) in December 2007, the scheme really got going this academic year, with more than 200 schools across the country getting involved and creating their own radio shows. That number is set to increase in the years ahead.

The roots of SchoolsRadio.com go all the way back to the early 1990s, when The Vision Charity, which raises funds and provides equipment and services to help dyslexic, visually impaired and blind children, teamed up with the Radio Academy to provide school workshops on the art of radio. Participating colleges included the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, and New College for the Blind in Worcester.

With the advent of digital technology and the Internet, it became apparent that all schools, with a little support, could produce their own radio shows. All that was needed was a little encouragement, and a place for the shows to be broadcast. So SchoolsRadio.com was born – a network where schools posted a URL link to their radio shows, allowing all other schools on the network to listen in, and compete with each other for prizes. Although some schools had high-tec equipment, others only had a basic set-up, but the beauty of radio is that imagination and personality count far more than slick gadgets and special effects. With the support of Arqiva, one of Britain’s main transmitter and broadcast companies, and Sony, who both incorporated Schools’ awards into their already acclaimed radio awards, SchoolsRadio.com is set to go from strength to strength.